Have you ordered your holiday pies? Here’s what you need to know, Kansas City
Dolce Bakery’s pre-holiday “Pie Flight Night” is pure genius.
Maybe you’ve had a wine, cheese or chocolate flight: the goal being to compare and contrast the subtle differences between the food or drink.
The first week of November, the Prairie Village boutique bakery invited pie fans to stop by for a flight: a mini wedge of pumpkin, pecan and Dutch apple streudel pies.
I tasted the pies in the brisk night air. The bakery’s special event nights (cobbler, ice cream sammies, etc.) are so popular there’s often no room inside. As I shivered slightly, the burning question became: What kind? Should I choose a light, chiffon-like pumpkin? Or a nutty, not-too-sweet pecan? Or a toothsome sweet-and-sour Dutch apple with crumble on top?
My decision-making process only got more difficult as I waded deeper into the local pie scene because, you see, KC’s pie game is mighty strong. We are, after all, home of Tippin’s, true pie royalty — with 32 pie fillings to choose from, including a gluten-free pumpkin pie developed in collaboration with Emily Kate’s, a wholesale gluten-free bakery.
Yes, we are lucky to live in a city with a plethora of pies. So close your eyes and point your finger. Flip a coin. Draw straws. Toss caution to the wind. It’s doubtful you’ll find a bad one out there. But if you have a particular hankering this time of year, place your order now for best selection.
(Most pies can be ordered online.)
Dean & Deluca
Kinds: Pumpkin, bourbon pecan, traditional apple crumble
Cost: $35 each
Order deadline: Nov. 16
Heirloom Bakery & Hearth
Kinds: Pumpkin, cranberry pear crumble, chocolate pecan, honey apple thyme
Cost: $24-26 each
Order deadline: 3 p.m. Nov. 19
Ashleigh’s Bakeshop at Pryde’s Old Westport
Kinds: All pies on the menu are available, but the most popular are cranberry orange chess, roasted sweet potato, apple cranberry oat crumble, cherry, coconut cream, key lime, raspberry rhubarb, maple pecan, pumpkin, whiskey walnut, custard.
Cost: $20 each
Order deadline: Nov. 17
Broadmoor Bistro
These are made by students in the SkillsUSA Broadmoor Chapter of the Shawnee Mission School District student culinary program
Kinds: Sugar-free apple, apple butterscotch praline, old-fashioned apple, chocolate cream, pumpkin, gluten-free pumpkin, pecan
Cost: $15-$17
Order deadine: 5 p.m. Nov. 20
Dolce Bakery
Kinds: Pumpkin spice, bourbon pecan, Dutch apple
Cost: $24 each
Order deadline: Noon, Nov. 21
Emily Kate’s Bakery
Gluten-free pies
Kinds: Double-crust cherry, blackberry or apple, apple streusel and signature pumpkin pie (different from the version they make for Tippin’s)
Cost: $26-$30 each
Order deadline: Nov. 18; order@emilykatesbakery.com or 913-645-7674
Rye
Kinds: Banana, lemon, pumpkin, Dutch apple and MoKan pie
Cost: $24.25 (or $29.50 for MoKan)
Order deadline: 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 20
Tippin’s Pies
Kinds: Dixie, pecan, pumpkin, sweet potato, pumpkin praline pecan, pumpkin cream, pumpkin cinnamon cream, banana cream, chocolate cream, coconut cream, chocolate Boston, custard, coconut custard, French silk, key lime, chocolate meringue, lemon meringue, coconut meringue, apple, blueberry, cherry, blackberry, French apple, caramel apple, peach, strawberry-rhubarb, raspberry, no-sugar added apple, no-sugar added cherry, no-sugar added pumpkin, no-sugar added French silk, gluten-free pumpkin
Cost: $10.99-$19.99
Online order deadline: Nov. 20 for best selection (especially if you want gluten-free), but there will also be plenty of pies available in store
Pickup/purchase: Hen House, Price Chopper and Cosentino’s Market
Upper Crust
Kinds: Pumpkin, brown sugar buttermilk, blueberry, apple, harvest apple, chocolate chess, cherry crumb and pecan
Cost: $27-$28
Order deadline: No hard-and-fast date but will shut down orders when they have reached baking capacity.
This story was originally published November 10, 2017 at 10:20 AM.